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Title: Letters to Children
Author: E. C. Bridgman
Release Date: January 26, 2017 [EBook #54055]
[Last updated: February 6, 2017]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
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Transcriber's Note: This e-book is based on an extant copy at
Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library,
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librarians there for providing assistance in accessing this rare
fragile book. A few typos in the original text were corrected.
LETTERS TO CHILDREN.
BY REV. E.C. BRIDGMAN,
MISSIONARY IN CHINA.
Written for the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society,
and Revised by the Committee of Publication.
SECOND EDITION.
BOSTON:
MASSACHUSETTS SABBATH SCHOOL SOCIETY.
Depository, No. 13, Cornhill.
1838.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1834,
BY CHRISTOPHER C. DEAN,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
______
INDEX.
Letter I.
Introduction; Chinese are Idolaters; Confucian, Taon, and Buddha
Sects,
Letter II.
Temples, Priest, Priestesses and Idols,
Letter III.
Pagodas, Idol Worship,
Letter IV.
Soldiers; Merchants,
Letter V.
Mechanics,
Letter VI.
Husbandmen,
Letter VII.
Scholars,
Letter VIII.
Sailors,
Letter IX.
Character and Condition of Females,
Letter X.
Marriage Ceremony,
Letter XI.
Beggars; Food and Clothing,
Letter XII.
Crimes: Lying, Gambling, Quarrelling, Theft, Robbery, and
Bribery,
Letter XIII.
Ideas of Death, style of Mourning, Funerals, &c.
Letter XIV.
Dr. Morrison translates the Bible into the Chinese Language,
Letter XV.
Dr. Milne; Missionary Stations,
Letter XVI.
Leang Afa,
Letter XVII.
Canton City; Population, &c.
Letter XVIII.
To Parents and Teachers,
______
TO THE READER.
______
This little Book contains eighteen Letters, written by Rev. E.C.
BRIDGMAN, Missionary in China, addressed to the Children of the
Sabbath School in Middleton, Mass. and published in the Sabbath
School Treasury and Visitor. Though the letters were addressed
to children in a particular Sabbath School, they are none the less
adapted to other children, and they cannot fail to interest any
one, who would see China converted to Christ.
______
LETTERS FROM CHINA.
______
Letter I.
Canton, (China,) Oct. 17, 1831
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS:--The general agent of the Massachusetts
Sabbath School Union has requested me to write something which
I have "seen, heard, or thought of" for the Treasury. He proposed
that I should write in the form of letters, and address them to
you. This I shall be very happy to do, so far as I have any leisure
to write.
Some of you, perhaps, will remember what I used to tell you of
the children, and men, and women, who had no Bibles, and who were
ignorant of the true God, and of Jesus Christ the Savior of
sinners. I can remember very well what some of the little children
used to say, and how they used to look, when I talked to them about
being a missionary, and of going far away from home, perhaps never
to return. I did not then think of going so far off; indeed, I
did not know where I should go; had some thoughts of going to
Greece, or to Armenia. We do not always know what is best, but
God does, for He knows all things, and will direct all things for
his own glory; and if we love and obey him. He will make all things
work together for our good.
I am very glad I came to China, and I wish a great many more
missionaries would come here. Before I came among the heathen,
I had no idea how much they are to be pitied, and how much they
need the Bible. Now that I live among them, and see their poor
dumb idols every day, I desire to tell you a great many things
which, I hope, will make you more careful to improve your own
privileges, and more anxious also that the same blessed
privileges may be enjoyed by all other children every where.
Now, children, if you will look on your maps, you will see that
China is situated in that part of the earth, which is directly
opposite to the United States: so that when it is noon in one
place, it is midnight in the other. The two countries, you will
see, occupy nearly the same extent of the earth's surface. They
are, also, bounded on the north and south, by nearly the same
degrees of latitude. (China is situated a little farther south
than the United States.) This makes the seasons,--summer and
winters, spring and autumn,--and also the climate of the two
countries, quite alike. But in regard to population, religion,
and almost every thing else, they are very different from each
other.
China is a very ancient nation; and has, at the present time, a
vast population,--probably twenty or thirty times as many people
as there are in all the United States of America. If there are,
then, three millions in the United States to be gathered into
the Sabbath schools, and there Sabbath after Sabbath, instructed
in the Holy Scriptures; there are here in China more than sixty
millions, of the same age, who know not even that there are any
Sabbath, or any Sabbath day, or any Holy Bible.
You can now, dear children, from these few facts, estimate how
many there are in China who need the Bible; and how much there
is to be done, how many missionaries and Christian teachers will
be wanted, before all these millions of immortal beings shall have
the word of God, and be as blessed and as happy in their
privileges, as you now are. You, truly, enjoy great privileges,
because you have the Holy Bible, and can, every day, read of Jesus
Christ: and if you believe in him, you will have great joy and
comfort, and when you die, go to heaven and be forever with the
Lord. But O, what do you think will become of all these poor
heathen children, who have no Bibles, and who have never heard
of the name of Jesus? In the fourth chapter of Acts, you read,
that, "there is no other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved."
The Chinese are idolaters. Their fathers, and their grandfather,
for hundreds and thousands of generations, have been idolaters,
and worshipped idols of wood and stone which their own hands have
made. These idols are very numerous; as numerous, the Chinese
themselves say, as the sands on the banks of a great river.
The Chinese are divided into three religious sects. The Confucian
sect; the Taon sect; and the Buddha sect. I will now tell you
something about each of these three.
The Confucian sect is composed of the learned men of China,
who are in their disposition and character like the proud and
self-righteous pharisees, mentioned in the New Testament. They
call them the disciples of Confucius. They adore and worship
him; they have a great many temples dedicated to him; and they
offer various sacrifices to him, as the children of Israel did
to Jehovah, the true God, in the time of Moses. Confucius was born
538 years before Christ. His disciples relate many strange
stories about their master. But he taught them nothing about the
true God and Jesus Christ, and nothing about the soul after death.
Life and immortality were not revealed to him. His disciples
are as ignorant as their master was. They neither know nor
acknowledge the eternal power and Godhead, so "clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made." Professing
themselves to be wise, they become fools, and like the Romans,
"changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like
to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts," &c.
&c. I wish you to read the last half of the first chapter of Romans,
and you will have a good account of the disciples of Confucius.
Taontsze, which being interpreted, means old boy, was the
founder of the Taon sect. His followers to this day call him
the supreme venerable prince; and relate many curious stories
about him; and say that he was an ignorant good man.
The religion of Buddha was brought from India, and became a
common religion of China, probably, about the time, or soon after
the crucifixion of our Savior. Both this religion and that of the
Taon sect are dreadfully wicked, and full of abominations; and
their priests are the most ignorant and miserable people in China.
I will tell you more of these hereafter.
Besides these three sects, there are some Roman Catholics, some
Mohammedans, and a few Jews, scattered in different parts of
China.
Since I have now commenced, I wish to write you several short
letters; and this I will try to do, if God our heavenly Father
gives me time and strength. Earnestly desiring that he will give
you all good things, I remain,
Your true friends,
E.C. BRIDGMAN.
______
Letter II.
Canton, (China,) Oct. 19, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--In the first letter, I told you something
about the situation and the vast population of China, and the
three religious sects into which the people are divided. In this
letter I propose to give you a short account of their temples,
priests, priestesses, and idols.
Idol temples are very different from meeting-houses. I have
visited a good many of these temples, in and about Canton and
Macao. There is very little, if any, difference between the
temples of the Buddha and the Taon sects. Those which I have seen
are brick, and usually firm and well built. A common village
temple occupies about half an acre of ground, enclosed by a wall
twelve or fifteen feet high, and consists of several houses for
the priests, a number of small rooms and niches for the idols,
and an open court and alleys. Some of the temples are large,
including within their outer wall three or four acres, having
beautiful trees and gardens, and sometimes a furnace, in which
the dead bodies of priests are burnt, and also a kind of tomb,
filled with urns, in which their ashes are afterwards deposited.
These are more than thirteen hundred idol temples in the province
of Canton; and, at the same rate of reckoning, there will be, in
the eighteen provinces into which China is divided, more than
twenty-three thousand idol temples.
I have never visited any of the temples dedicated to Confucius.
They are, it is said, distinguished from those of Buddha and Taon,
by their dignified simplicity, the exclusion of images from all
the principal halls, and by substituting, in their stead,
commemorative tablets, bearing the names of Confucius and his
most distinguished disciples.
Priests are numerous. One temple in Peking has, it is said,
eight hundred priests. One which I have visited, near Canton,
has more than one hundred and fifty. Those of Buddha shave their
heads perfectly bald. They usually appear dressed in a large grey
gown, with sleeves often a full yard wide. They live principally
on vegetables; they eat no meat, are not allowed to marry, are
idle, and, except by persons of their own sect, utterly
disrespected. The priests of the Taon sect shave their heads,
except a spot about the size of a man's hand, of which the crown
of the head is the centre. This, indeed, every Chinese does. Every
man and every boy must have his head shaved, as a mark of
submission to the Emperor. This has been the custom for almost
two hundred years. But, while the common people braid their hair
into a "long tail," which hangs down to their heels, the priests
of Taon fold theirs up in a knot on the top of the head. When they
appear in public, they usually wear a yellow robe. They eat flesh,
and are permitted to marry. No priest of either sect ever teaches
in public and but seldom in private. They spend much of their time
in devotions, which are nothing but "vain repetitions," saying
over and over again the same words, as fast as they can, hundreds
and thousands of times. They are sometimes called to pray for the
dead, and sometimes to go in funeral processions.
Persons may become priests at any age they please; they are
usually, however, dedicated to the service when quite young, even
in infancy. A few days ago, in the streets, I saw a lad only eight
or ten years old, all dressed up in his priestly robes. There are
no priests belonging to the Confucian sect.
Priestesses are more wicked, but not so numerous as priests.
There are three sorts of these poor miserable creatures. Those
that belong to the sects of Buddha and Taon wear a peculiar kind
of dress. Those of the Buddha sect shave their heads, and the
people of Canton call them "women padres." Those of third sort
form a kind of sisterhood, live wholly on vegetables, and dress
like other women. These are all very wicked, ugly people. They
pretend to sing songs to the gods, and drive away demons. There
are other old women, still worse, if possible, than these; such
as witches, conjurers, and necromancers. They pretend to hold
intercourse with the dead, and give responses to their living
kindred, telling them that their dead friends are in great
distress for want of food and clothing. Many of the deluded people
believe them, and, by these lies and tricks, they contrive to get
food and clothing for themselves.
Idols, in China, are numerous beyond all calculation. These
idols are to be seen every where; in ships, in boats, houses, in
temples, shops, streets, fields, on the hills, and in the vallies,
and along the banks of all the rivers and canals. Some of these
idols are very large, huge monsters, several feet high. Some of
them are made of wood, some are stone, some are earthen, others
are brass, iron, &c. &c. They are most commonly made somewhat in
the likeness of men; but sometimes they are like beasts, and
birds, and creeping things. There are places where these gods
are manufactured and sold just as people make and sell chairs,
tables, &c. I am going to send a parcel of them to the Society
of Inquiry respecting Missions, at the Theological Seminary,
Andover, where if you wish, you can go and see them.
Adieu, dear children. May the Lord, in great mercy, keep you from
all sin, and make you happy in this life and in that which is to
come. Remembering you often in my prayers,
I remain, your true friend,
E.C. BRIDGMAN.
______
Letter III.
Canton, (China,) Oct. 20, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--In my letter, yesterday, I forgot to tell
you of some very high buildings, called pagodas. These are found
in almost every part of China. They were introduced soon after
the religion of Buddha, in which they seem to have had their
origin, in this country. These lofty buildings present every
where nearly the same appearance; but differ in height from three
to thirteen stories. They are usually hollow, with stairs
ascending up through the centre; and are usually built on the top
of some high hill. They are believed, by those who build them,
to be a defence against evil spirits, pestilence, misfortunes,
&c. One of the finest pagodas in China, is in Nanking, and was
built about 400 years ago. It is called the porcelain pagoda. It
is 200 feet high, divided into nine stories; and is, at the base,
122 feet in circumference. It was nineteen years in building, and
cost more than three millions of dollars; more than three times
as much as the American Board have yet expended for foreign
missions.
I will close this letter with some account of idol worship, as
it is performed here, all around us, every day.
The Chinese never assemble for religious worship as Christians
do, who go to the house of God, there to worship him, who is a
Spirit, in spirit and in truth. Their worship is very unholy, and
offensive to God, and injurious to man. They have no preaching;
their priests never set as public, religious teachers. Their
worship consists of prayers and offerings, made to their false
gods, and to their departed friends, to the sages and heroes of
antiquity, and to their emperors--both living and the dead. All
their acts of worship are accompanied with a great many, and very
tedious ceremonies.
Some of the priests make very long prayers. In a temple near
Canton, I have seen more than 50 priests altogether, at one time,
engaged in their devotions. At the appointed hour, they assembled
in a large hall where were a number of idols, and altars for
offering incense, and also a drum and a bell to wake up the
sleepy gods, and make them listen to their prayers.
As soon as they were assembled, they took their places in ranks,
and commenced their worship. One of the oldest priests acted as
chief, and took the lead; and the others, with loud voices, all
joined with him and chanted their evening prayers. Sometimes,
they all stood erect, with their hands all joined with him, and
chanted their evening prayers. Sometimes they all stood erect,
with their hands clasped before them. Sometimes, in files, they
went round and round their altars. At one time, they all kneeled;
and again, they all bowed down their heads, and placed them in
the very dust. All the time they were doing these things, which
occupied about an hour, candles and lamps were kept burning, and
incense was offered on the altars.
The Chinese never pray in their families and closets as Christians
are taught to do. Individuals sometimes go to the temples to pray,
and pay their vows, and to make offerings to the idol gods. I have
repeatedly seen women, sometimes with their young children,
bowing before the altars in the temples. The Chinese observe many
times and seasons, in which they make religious offerings, some
of which are very expensive.
There are appointed seasons when the Emperor of China worships
his ancestors, and the heavens, and the earth, and also some of
the great mountains and rivers of the empire. Early in the morning
on the first day of the year, all the people worship their gods,
praying for riches. In the spring of every year, there is an
appointed time, when every body goes to the hills--some travel
hundreds of miles--to worship at the tombs of their fathers, and
mothers, and uncles, &c. While at the tombs, they offer costly
sacrifices of fish, fowls, sheep, goats, swine and the like, with
oblations of wine and oil, to the names of their departed
relatives. On the first and fifteenth of every moon, they have
some special religious rites to perform, such as firing off
thousands and thousands of gunpowder crackers, beating their
gongs, or drums, &c. This they do to keep off evil spirits. Every
day, especially at evening, offerings of paper--a kind of gold
paper--and oil, and fragrant wood, are made to the household
Gods, to the gods of the streets, shops, boats. Indeed, there
seems to be no end to their superstitions. And thus, alas! all
this numerous people are given to idolatry, and offer sacrifices
to devils. They worship they know not what.
And now, my dear young friends, do you think all this vain and
wicked worship constitute a cheap and easy religion? Think of
the priests and priestesses devoted to idleness, and to
abominable rites and services. Think of the hundreds of temples
and idleness, and to abominable rites and services. Think of the
hundreds of temples and pagodas, and thousands of idols which
cover and fill the land. Think, too, of all the times and seasons;
all the costly offerings and sacrifices employed in this idol
worship; and again I ask, and I wish you to give an answer,--Do
you think this a cheap and easy religion? I think it a most costly
religion, and most grievous to be borne. Oh, how unlike the
religion of Jesus Christ! His yoke is easy, and his burden light.
But the service of Satan is hard service. The expense of this idol
worship must amount to many millions of dollars annually. More,
I am constrained to believe, is expended every day, and every
year, by the Chinese alone, in idol worship, than is devoted by
all the true Christians in the whole world, to the worship of the
true God.
These things ought not so to be. And if all good people could
see how miserable these heathens are, and could feel for them,
as Christ Jesus commands them to feel, the things would not be
so much longer. There would be a great change immediately. The
Bible would be distributed; the Gospel would be preached; and then
would the heathen cast away their dumb idols, and serve the true
God.
And now, dear children, farewell. Think of these things and
remember and pray for the poor heathen always. I hope to write
to you again; perhaps, several short letters, but I may be
disappointed. Endeavoring to cast all my cares on Him, who
careth for us all, and to serve him with singleness of heart, I
still remain your true friend, E.C. BRIDGMAN.
______
Letter IV.
Canton, (China,) Oct. 25, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--There is no caste in China, as there
is in India. Men may rise from the most humble stations in life,
to the highest rank of office; the throne only being excepted.
The Chinese, in their books, often speak of the soldiers and
the people: and when speaking of the people, divide them into
merchants, mechanics, husbandmen, and scholars.
The occupations of these five classes, the Chinese call "the
essential employments." And they say "that when the high heavens
produced men, they appointed to every one an employment, as the
means of personal support. Therefore, though men naturally differ
as to knowledge and ignorance, strength and weakness, yet none
should be without an employment. Having employments, all men have
a proper duty to which they should attend, both that they may be
profitable to themselves, and useful to the world."
I think now, children, you will be better able to understand the
character of the Chinese, if I tell you something of these five
classes separately. I will remark first, however, that these
divisions are not exclusive. A man may be a scholar, and at the
same time engage in husbandry. So he may be a merchant, and at
the same time a scholar. Soldiers, sometimes also, I believe, are
farmers, or merchants, or mechanics. But usually one man
attends to only one of the essential employments.
China is now governed by the Tartars, a very war-like nation, who
conquered and subdued the country, and ascended the throne 187
years ago. It was at that time, A.D. 1644, that the long tail
mentioned in the second letter, was introduced. Many of the old
people, it is said, were unwilling to shave their heads, and braid
their hair. But the Tartars being their masters, and having the
power, compelled them to do so, on the pain of death. Many actually
preferred death to such a mark of disgrace. At the present time,
in order to keep the people in subjection, a great number of
soldiers, many of them Tartars, are stationed all over the Empire.
There are several thousands in Canton. These soldiers have a few
guns: but generally they are armed with swords and shields, or
bows and arrows, or spears and pikes, or some other such like
instruments. The soldiers have very little to do; and so they
become very lazy, and gamble, and steal, rob and oppress the poor,
and often make a great deal of disturbance. And after all they
can do to keep the peace, the people often rise in rebellion; and
then they quarrel and fight, and hundreds of the people and
soldiers are killed. Two of three such rebellions have happened
since I have been in China.
To prevent mistake, I wish you to keep in mind the difference
between China, and the Chinese Empire. By China, or China
Proper, is understood the 18 provinces, which for a long time,
constituted the whole of the Chinese possessions. The Chinese
Empire, as it has existed since 1644, extends on the north, and
west, far beyond the boundaries of ancient China, and is,
probably, the largest Empire in the world. The whole number of
persons in the Empire, who are enrolled as soldiers and make the
art and practice of war their essential employment, is very
great; amounting, probably, to two or three millions.
Chinese Merchants have by no means that high character, and that
influence, which the same class of men possess in Europe and
America. They are ranked the last of the four divisions of the
people, and are regarded by their own countrymen as the least
respectable part of the community. They are, usually, very greedy
of gain, and often cheat and deceive; and they regard it as a very
small offence to cheat and deceive foreigners, whom they usually
call barbarians: and who, they say, come an immense distance
across the seas, from the northwest corner of the world, to buy
teas, and silks of the celestial Empire.
The foreign trade to China is pretty extensive, and is continually
increasing. There are now at Whampoa, where the foreign ships
unload and load their cargoes, 52 ships, and 4,000 seamen. These
ships bring tin, lead, quick-silver, copper, iron, furs, cotton
yarn, cotton and woollen cloth, and many other such like, useful
articles. They bring also, and of late years, a very great
quantity of opium. More than twenty millions of dollars' worth
of opium were sold here last year. This is very bad, and does a
great deal of hurt. Those who bring and sell the opium, and those
who buy it also, know very well that it is doing a great deal of
injury. Only a part of the foreign merchants trade in opium; the
others will not, because they know it is wrong, and contrary to
the laws of God and man. Returning from China, the ships are
usually very richly laden with nankeens, silks, teas, &c.
Chinese merchants do not often go very far abroad; seldom if ever,
so far as to India. They carry on, however, considerable trade
with Cochin China, Siam, Singapore, Malacca, Java; to which, and
to some other places, they have quite a number of vessels, perhaps
fifty, which make a voyage every year. It is by these vessels that
Mr. Medhurst, and Mr. Tomlin, and other missionaries, have sent
many Bibles and tracts into China. It is in one of these vessels
also, that Mr. Gutzlaff has gone to Peking, where he means to spend
the winter and preach the gospel of the Son of God.
Again, dear children, adieu. Be good children--obey and love your
parents--read your Bibles--believe in Jesus with your whole
hearts, and pray to God always, then you will be happy. I will
by the assistance and permission of God, endeavor to continue the
account of the Chinese people, in another letter.
Your very true friend,
E.C.B.
______
Letter V.
Canton, (China,) Nov.2, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--Having given you, in my last letter, some
account of the soldiers and merchants, I intend in this, to tell
you about the merchants, the husbandmen, and the scholars. I do
not pretend to give you a very complete account of these several
classes of persons. My desire is, however, that you shall have
such an acquaintance with the every day conduct, and peculiar
manners and customs of the Chinese, that you may be able to form
for yourselves, correct ideas of their character. I should be glad
to have you know fully their whole manner of life. I wish you
to know all about them: how they live, how they think, and how
they act. And I wish you to know how they regard and treat each
other, as follow citizens, as husbands and wives, as parents and
children, and as brothers and sisters, &c. &c. Because, when you
can see them in all their daily conduct, and in all their various
relations, and have correct views of their character; then you
will know how much you ought to pity them, and will be very
anxious, I think, to send them the gospel of God, which is able
to make them wise unto everlasting life. I remember you have
already done something for the heathen, but you know that there
is a great deal more to be done; and we must not stop till the
whole world is converted.
Now I will tell you about the Mechanics. They are usually, as
in the United States, a very industrious class of people, and many
of them excellent workmen. It is written in one of their books,
"Let mechanics examine the four seasons; prepare the six
materials; daily and monthly investigate the progress of their
pursuits; abide together in their own departments; and thus
complete their business." These words which I have now quoted,
are found in a book called the Sacred Edict of the emperor Kanghe.
He lived about a hundred years ago.
It is very common among the Chinese for persons of the same
occupation to live "together" in the same neighborhood.
Especially is this the case with the mechanics.
The four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, are to be
examined for two purposes. The one is, for the purpose of
observing various superstitious rites and ceremonies, which they
vainly suppose necessary to secure success in business. The other
is, for selecting and storing up, on lucky days, the "six
materials."
The six materials are, earth, metal, stone, wood, animals, and
fibrous plants. Of earth they make bricks, tiles, porcelain, and
a great variety of wares. Of metals they make implements of
husbandry, and war, &c. Stone is used for building bridges,
houses, temples, and especially for making idols. These, and all
other materials, are selected with great care, and many
ceremonies, which make the ordinary labors of this people, in many
respects, exceedingly hard. To-day is the birth-day of the god
of fire, and the mechanics of Canton are expending thousands of
dollars in order to secure his protection.
There are some kinds of workmanship which exhibit very little
skill or taste. There are other kinds which are excellent. The
Chinese, it is said, make good clocks, but do not succeed in making
watches. Very much of their work is, indeed, good in its kind;
and, usually, remarkably simple.
The Chinese mechanics almost always work by a pattern; and every
thing so far as it is for their own use, must be made according
to old custom. This people are very far from thinking that every
generation grows wiser and wiser. On the contrary, they think that
the ancients were, in many respects, the perfect models of
perfection. Hence to imitate, and to be like them, is the utmost
of their wishes. This is the case with the mechanics. Hence ships,
boats, houses, shops, temples, furniture, and implements of every
kind, are made just like those made years and years ago. I will
give you one single example.
Instead of knives and forks, which they never use, they have two
small round sticks, about the size of the old fashion pipe-stems,
and about a foot long. These nimble lads, for so they call the
two round sticks, they hold in their right hand, and with a bowl
of food in their left, raised quite up to the chin, they jerk the
food into their mouth with astonishing rapidity. These sticks,
by foreigners usually called chop-sticks, have been in common use,
according to the Chinese account of them, more than three thousand
years. But as children are early trained to the use of these
sticks, perhaps there is no loss or disadvantage in continuing
their use. Yet, even when there would be a great improvement, as
in the helms of their ships, they must (because their government
compels them) adhere strictly to old custom.
According to law, the different kinds of mechanics are all, I
believe, to be enrolled in the government offices. The following
is a specimen of those in this city. Shoe-makers, twenty-five
thousand. Carpenters and cabinet-makers, sixteen thousand.
Lapidaries or those who work in stone, seven thousand. Barbers
also, seven thousand.
I must defer what I have to tell you about the husbandmen and
scholars, for another letter. Till then, farewell. Like good
children, be diligent and careful in all that you have to do;
especially be diligent and careful in your studies, and
committing to memory the holy Scriptures. Remember that good and
wise children will make glad their parents. So may you do. And
may God our heavenly Father keep you from all sin. So writes
Your true friends, E.C.B.
______
Letter VI.
Canton, (China) Nov. 4, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--The Chinese rulers of the present day,
say to their people,--"give the chief place to husbandry and the
cultivation of the mulberry-tree, in order to procure adequate
supplies of food and raiment." To impress this precept on the
minds of the people, they add,--"if a man plough not, he will very
likely suffer hunger; if a woman weave not, she may probably feel
the cold. Of old time, the emperors themselves ploughed, and their
empresses cultivated the mulberry; they disdained not to labor,
in order that, by their example, they might excite the millions
of the people to lay due stress on the radical principles of
economy." And yet again they add,--"We wish our people to exert
their whole strength in agriculture. Do not love idleness and hate
labor; do not be diligent at first, and slothful afterwards; do
not, because of a deficient season, reject your fields and
plantations; do not covet the multiplied profits of commerce, and
change the good old employment. Agriculture alone is the
fundamental employment."
I have made these quotations, in order to show you in what
estimation agriculture is held by the emperors of China. In regard
to "farming business," they act very wisely, and set before their
people a good example. For a long time the Chinese have been
regarded, as among the best, and the most ancient tillers of the
ground. Very many of the people are farmers. A pretty large
proportion, I should think six-eights, of the whole population
engage in agricultural pursuits.
Some notices of their implements and modes of husbandry, and the
productions of their soil, will serve to illustrate the
character and condition of those who make agriculture their
essential employment.
Their farming tools are few in number, and simple in the
structure. Not a wheel carriage of any description have I yet seen
in China, excepting only fire engines, which, both foreign and
native built, are usually drawn on four wheels. In the north of
China, wheel carriages for various purposes are in common use;
but here, all kinds of produce and merchandize, and men and women
themselves, are carried, either in boats, or by human strength.
The sedan, in which people ride, is made quite like a chaise top,
with poles, like thills, extending an equal distance before and
behind. Only one person is seated in the sedan, and two strong
men stooping down take the poles on their shoulders, and then
rising up, lift the sedan about a foot from the ground. In this
style, away they go, for miles, like horses. These bearers the
Chinese nick-name mo-me-ma, i.e. no-tail-horses. Similar men are
employed to carry heavy burdens. When the weight is only enough
for one man, it is suspended from the ends of a light, but very
strong bamboo pole, about six feet long, which the bearer balances
on his right shoulder. When the weight requires two or more men,
it is suspended from the middle of the pole, which is a large round
heavy bamboo, about ten feet long. In this way thousands of our
fellow-men are used as beasts of burden.
The Chinese use the plough and harrow, which are made similar to
those used in America. These are drawn by a single ox, or
buffalo,--a very stout animal, of a dun color, well fitted for
the work. Their spade, hoe, and rake, and their implements for
cutting, threshing, and winnowing grain are, also, like those
used in the United States, and in Europe, though much more rude
and simple. They commonly use a large pestle and mortar to make
flour. They have also mills for grinding, but the stones used are
always small, and never turned by water. These mills are,
probably, like those referred to the words--"two women shall be
grinding at the mill."
What I have now told you of their implements, will lead you to
form some ideas of the modes of husbandry, which are most common
among the Chinese. The very great variety, plenty and perfection
of vegetable productions found among this people, give us
favorable opinions of their manner of cultivating the earth.
Their lands are laid out in extensive fields, and ditches dug,
or stones set up, usually serve for land marks. I believe they
have no fences, except, sometimes, around their richest
gardens,--and these not so much for a defence against the
encroachment of beasts, as they are for a protection from thieves
and robbers.
Very little of their land is left uncultivated. Indeed some of
the most rich and beautiful grounds are made so by human industry.
Sometimes by embankments built up like mildams, the water is kept
back, and acres and acres are made dry land, and rich harvests
are gathered, where before it was all covered with water, and men
used to drag their nets to catch fish. At other times, hard,
sterile hill-tops, terraced and covered with a rich soil, are made
charmingly beautiful, and very productive. Very much is effected
by manuring and irrigation. The methods of doing the latter are
very curious. But of these and many other things I have not time
to speak. Besides I am afraid you will be tired with my long
accounts; which, indeed, are becoming much larger than I
intended. I could by no means persuade, or allow myself thus to
employ a few,--not leisure, hours, did I not hope, and confidently
believe, that you will do something for this people. China has
long, long been neglected. Scores and scores of laborers are
needed, to break up this fallow ground, to sow the good seed, to
seek the Lord, the Lord of the harvest, till he come and rain
righteousness upon this people, and make them his own husbandry.
You know, my dear young friends, that God, our heavenly Father,
is very good, that He doeth good to the evil and unthankful, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. God has been very
good to the Chinese. Of fruit trees, He has given them the rich
banana, the apple, peach, walnut, chestnut, orange lemon, and
many others. He has given them figs, grapes, and many kinds of
berries. Of vegetables, He has given them almost every kind,
that can be named. He has caused the mulberry to grow and yield
an abundance of material for silk to clothe them. He has given
them the tea plant also, and so plenteously, that they can
supply the whole world with it, and make themselves rich in the
traffic. He has given them abundance of grain for bread, and
for meat. He has given them the fishes of the sea, the fowls
of heaven, and cattle on a thousand hills. But, alas! they do
not love to retain Him in their knowledge. They deny his
existence. They worship dumb idols. And, what think you, will
become of them when they die? Oh, happy, thrice happy is that
nation--thrice happy are those children, whose God is the Lord.
Farewell, dear children. The Lord bless you evermore, and your
true friend.
E.C.B.
______
Letter VII.
Canton, (China,) Nov. 22, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--I have already told you about the
soldiers, the merchants, the mechanics, and the husbandmen of
China; in this letter I will give you some account of the
scholars. Among all the pagan nations, that have ever been, or
now exist, none perhaps, have been more learned than the Chinese.
But no people in the world, without the Bible, can be so learned
as those nations who have it. Those people, who read, and study,
and understand the Holy Scriptures the best, will always be the
best scholars; they will have the best taste, the best judgment,
the best understanding; and, if they obey what they read, they
will have the best hearts. Believe me, my dear children, if you
read and obey the Holy Bible, we shall be truly wise. God
himself will be our teacher: and His holy law will be our
school-master to bring us to Christ. If all people would only read
and obey the word of God, then there would be no wars and
fightings; there would be no more thieves, no more robbers, no
more murderers, no more profane persons, and drunkards, and such
like wicked persons.
But the Chinese have not the Holy Bible. They have not the wisdom,
that is from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy. Professing themselves to be
wise, they become fools,--blasphemers of God,--boasting of
things without their measure, and their mouth speaketh great
swelling words. They call their emperor the Son of Heaven, and
bow down before him, and worship him as a divine being. They call
their empire the celestial empire. They call it also the middle
kingdom. All the people around them, even all the nations of the
earth,--the English and Americans, and all other people, they call
ignorant cruel barbarians.
I do not dislike the Chinese. I love them; but I dislike their
vices and their wickedness. There is a difference in their
character and conduct. Some are far more honest, more kind, more
upright, and better disposed than others. Usually, not always,
the most ignorant are the most wicked. The Chinese pay
considerable attention to learning. They have a great many books,
some of which contain excellent precepts, and much good
instruction. But the good, which their books contain, is almost
always mixed up with more or less that is bad, and contrary to
the laws of God.
Scholars in China are the most respectable part of the community.
Some of their scholars of ancient times, they say, were perfect
men; and so now the people worship them, and sacrifice to them.
They say, also, that "of, old families had their schools; villages
their academies; districts their colleges; and the nation her
university. Of consequence, no one was left uninstructed." They
say, also, that the schools were not intended for one class only
but for all the people;--that "if the husbandman can exert his
strength in the field; and duly attend to his duty, then he is
a scholar,"--and that, "when the soldiers all know how to venerate
their superiors, and love their relatives, then they also are
scholars." These and more like these, are the sayings of the
Chinese, of modern times. But most truly may it be said of this
people, that they say and do not. Whether all were, or were not,
instructed in times "of old," I will not undertake to determine;
but at the present time, it is far enough from being the case.
If I am able to continue these letters, as I wish, you will see,
by and by, when I come to speak of the condition of females, that
one half--the fairest half of the community, are excluded from
these schools, and left uninstructed. Besides, there are not
a few men and boys who are left uninstructed. A majority, probably
a very large majority, of the male population, above the age of
ten years, are taught to read and write. They have numerous
district schools, and some colleges; and multitudes make learning
their essential employment. But their whole system of education
is "wretchedly bad."
The Chinese language is very curious indeed; there is no language
like it in all the world. It is not at all like the English
language. They have no alphabet,--no A, B, C, and so forth. They
do not write with a pen, but use a pencil made like a small
paint-brush. Their books begin where ours end; that is when they
take a book into their hands to read, they open it at the right
hand side, instead of the left; and, beginning at the top of the
right hand side of the page, read down in columns, passing on from
the right to the left, and not from the left to the right, as in
the old English spelling-books.
Usually, boys do not begin to learn to read until they eight or
ten years old. They are then sent to school, and the master first
teaches them how to pronounce the words, and afterwards explains
their meaning. Their first school books are very short, and the
boys are required to learn them by heart, so that they can repeat
them from beginning to end. Their words are very strange looking
characters. A very long time ago, they say, that a certain man,
by observing the print of the horse's foot in the sand, and the
marks on the shell of the tortoise, first found out how to write
words, These words were so formed as to be a kind of picture of
the things which they signified. Though they have been much
changed since they were first found out, yet still they have some
resemblance to the object.
Boys always study out loud in school, which makes a great deal
of noise. When they have learned a few lessons, they then begin
to write. The paper is so thin, that they place the copy underneath
it, and then try to form the words just like the copy. Most of
the boys continue at school only two or three years. But those,
who are intended for scholars, continue many years, and are from
time to time examined for degrees, similar to Master and Bachelor
of Arts. Some men in China can get into office by paying money;
but all others, who obtain offices of government, are appointed
from among the scholars, who have received degrees: so the great
object of being scholars is, that they may get into office, and
become rulers of the people.
The learning of the Chinese is very limited and superficial. They
have scarcely any knowledge of astronomy, geography, and history.
And so of anatomy, and medicine, and chemistry, and many other
kinds of learning they are amazingly deficient. The course of
study for all children in China is nearly the same every where.
The first book the boy begins with is in poetry. This is the
meaning of the first two lines, man's beginning--nature original
good, that is the nature of man is originally good; or, more fully
as they explain them,--All men are born virtuous and good.
These are the first words, and this the first sentiment the boy
learns in school. The words are good enough, and certainly very
curious. But what shall we say of the sentiment,--the meaning of
the words? Why does God require all men, and all little children
to have new hearts? It is because all men have hard hearts,
hearts of stone, and cannot love Him. Why does He require
us all to be renewed in the temper of our minds? It is because
that as we are born and grow up, our minds are enmity against
God. Why does Jesus Christ say, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God! Because that which is born of the
flesh is flesh,--is not virtuous and good. Farewell, dear
children. And may He, who is the former of your bodies, and the
father of your spirits, have mercy on you, and send his Holy Spirit
that you may be born again,--born of the Spirit, be renewed in
your minds, and have new hearts, and love and enjoy God forever.
I remain your true friend,
E.C.B.
______
Letter VIII.
Canton, (China,) Nov. 28, 1831.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--The sailors, or those who live
constantly on the water, ought to be mentioned as a distinct
class. They are, indeed, a very numerous people; and, so far as
I know, they are no way inferior, or worse than those belonging
to the five classes, of which I have already given you some
account. Like the seamen of Europe and America, they have been
very wrongly neglected. The rivers of China are very numerous,
and several of them are very broad, beautiful and majestic. The
canals, also, are numerous. And, besides a number of lakes, the
country, for an immense distance on the east, and south-east, is
washed by the waves of the Pacific Ocean,--forming along the coast
a great number of bays and harbors. On all these waters, vast
multitudes of human beings are born, and live, and die;--having,
many of them while they live, no home but a boat, or a ship, and
when they die, no winding sheet and grave but the waters.
On the north bank of one of these rivers, stand the city and
suburbs of Canton. The river varies in its breath. At this place,
I should think it about forty or fifty rods wide. In another
letter, I may tell you something about Canton. I will only state
here, that the buildings extend quite down to the river: and in
many places, even the ground has been built out beyond the former
bank, and in some places much farther than in others, which makes
many nooks and corners. These, and indeed, a considerable part
of the river, for three or four miles, seem to be almost covered
with boats; which are of various descriptions, and in all,
probably amount to not less than forty or fifty thousand.
The tanka boats are the smallest and most numerous. Tanks means
an egg-house, and the boats are so called because they resemble
an egg floating on the water. The smallest of these boats are not
more than twelve or fifteen feet long, about six broad, and so
high, that a person can stand up in them. Their covering is very
light, and can be easily adjusted to the state of the weather.
Whole families live in these boats; and often besides a good
number of children, raise broods of ducks and chickens, which they
lash on the outside of the boats in coops.
Ferry-boats differ from the tanks, only by being a little longer
and narrower, and not quite so high. There is a ferry right
opposite to the place where I live. Four hundred dollars are paid
for it annually; and the ferry-men, or rather women, who row
and scull the boats, usually carry eight persons at a time, and
each person's fare is eight cash, of which about eight hundred
make a dollar. The scull is a kind of long oar, balanced on a pivot
close to one side of the stern of the boat. This "they make use
of as the fish does of his tail, thrusting it out, and pulling
it to them again, without ever lifting it above water. By this
oar, worked in this manner, not only the ferry-boats, but other,
and much larger boats, are urged forward to the greatest possible
advantage.
It would require a large book to give...
